Tannerson asked Lizzie if her sister had much furniture to move.

‘Two beds, a table and bench, and two chairs. Then there’s bedding and pots and pans and suchlike,’ she said. ‘It’ll all fit into one wagon.’

‘I’ll bring one round early on Saturday morning and give her a hand,’ he said. ‘It’s the least I can do.’

‘She’d appreciate it, Mr Tannerson,’ she said, not telling him that Filip Bosco had already offered, and wondering why he often said something was the least he could do. Did he feel guilty that Harry had almost died and was in a hospital bed not earning a wage? Harry, she was sure, didn’t hold his employer responsible but considered that an unfortunate series of events had culminated in the explosion. But there again, she pondered, perhaps in the eyes of the law Tannerson was responsible: he should have made sure that all reasonable precautions were in place or put someone in charge to do that.

Ellison, she mused. If he was the foreman, shouldn’t he be accountable? She decided to ask the question.

‘Sir.’ She lifted her head from a file. ‘I was wondering about Ellison. Was he in overall charge of ’working arrangements in the mill, as well as of the men?’

‘He was.’ Tannerson was standing with his back to her, looking out of the office window. He turned to face her. ‘Oddly enough, I was just thinking about him, and wondering what he was looking for in the desk.’

‘Money, I’d have thought,’ Lizzie suggested. ‘Or did he have a contract with you saying what his job entailed?’

Tannerson shifted uneasily. ‘He did, but whether it would stand up in law is debatable, and in any case I’m not looking for someone to blame. Ultimately it was my responsibility, and the death of those two lads lies heavily on my conscience.’

Lizzie gave a slight nod. That’s what she’d thought. ‘You left Ellison in charge, though, didn’t you? He was the one who unlocked ’gates and opened up the mill in a morning?’

‘He was, except on that particular morning he was late and didn’t arrive until after the explosion. I was earlier than usual, because there was a suppliers’ contract I needed to look at; the gates were unlocked and half open when I arrived. Harry Randell was the first man in and he came up to the office to warn me about the vents being closed.’ He frowned. ‘At least – I thought he was the first, but he can’t have been.’ He stood engrossed in thought. ‘Who unlocked the gates? It didn’t occur to me at the time. Somebody must have already been here when I arrived, but who? Ellison was the only one with a set of keys.’